Process of reducing arsenical ores.



110,879,931. PATENTED FEB. 26, 1903.

G. M. WESTMAN,

PROCESS OF REDUCING ARSENTCA'L ORES.

APPLIoATmk FILED MAY 24. 1900. RENEWED Jpn}; 26, 1907.

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GUSTAF M. WESTMAN,

or NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF REDUCING ARSENICAL ORES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Application filed May 24. 1906. Serial No. 318M166- Renewed une 26. 1907. Serial No. 380.908.

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAF M. WEsTMAN, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing in New York city, borough of Manhattan, Xew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Reducing Ar :semcal Ores, of which the following is a specifloat-ion.

The object of my invention is to roduce metallic arsenic from' arsenicalv ores y subthe latter to. the action of highly In carrying out my invention I ass through the arsenical ores highly heate re- 1 ductive gases containing carbon monoxid and hydrogen, and the arsenical vapors thus caused to ass from theores are condensed intoa-soli or metallic 'form', and the remain-'- ing matte may be treated for the recovery of H011, silver, nickel, cobalt, or other elements remaining therein. By having the temperature of the reductive gases sufiiciently high no combination between the arsenic and the hydrogen'can take place. To produce the requisite highly heated reductive gases for action upon the arsenical ores, 8J1 mixed with water or steam under pressure may be driven throu'gh inca'ndescent carbon, such as glowing coke, wherebyv the gases passing om the glowing coke will contain carbon monoxid and hydrogen, and such gases are then passed through the arsenical ores, and the resultant gases carrying of)? arsenical vapors are then condensed. Such condensing may be accomplished by air under pressure circulatin around the arsenical vapor condenser, and

for eco'nomizing heat, such air heated by passing around the condenser may be utilized by forcing it vthrough the glowing coke; To aid in heating the air and main'after condensation of the arsenical. va-

- pors may beemployed in a heater having pipes for the passa e of the air and water or steam mixture, an the remaining'gases may -be passed over iron oxid to remove sulfur from such gases.

In the accompanying -drawin s I have illustrated an apparatus in whic my improved process of producing metallic arsenic may he carried out, and-wherein Figure 1 is a central sectional view ofv the same, Fig. 2 is a planview, partly in section on the line 2, 2, in Fi 1, F 1g. 3 is a section substantially on the p an'e of the line 3, 3, in

outlets 3 and chamber 3 is provided with Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail section through the forehearth. 1

At 1 is indicated a suitable gas producer, shown connected by a channel 2 with a reducing furnace 3 in which the arsenical ores are to be treated. The channel 2 is shown extended around aportio-n of furnace 3, as at 2, and a series of openings 3 permit ases to pass from the channel 2, 2 into the mace 3 at various points. The forehe art-h 3 at the bottom of the furnace is shown provided with a chamber 3 communicating with pockets 3* to receive liquid from the ores in furnace 3, which may be drawn off through doors 3 through which solid matter may be drawn as required.

At 4, 5, are suitable hoppers'communicating with gas producer 1 and channel 2 through which coke may be introduced, the 7 hopper being shown above the gas producer 1 and channel 2 to permit the ready introduction of'the fuel therein. Heated air mixed with water or steam are forced into the lower part of gas producer 1, as through twyers. 6 communicating with a pipe 7. The pipe 7 is shown connected with heating pipes or coil 8 located in a heater or chamber .9, and at 10 is a water supply pipe communicating with pipe 8, and it may be provided with a spray to inject water into the air forced through the twyers. The gas producer '1 may be provided with a drawofl' outlet or the like 1, for the removal of slag, etc. The ore reducing furnace 3 is shown provided at the top with a suitable hopper 11 through which the arsenical ores may be introduced.

At- 12 are condensers for thearsenical vapors that pass from furnace 3, the pipe 13- connecting the upper art of furnace 3 with the upper part of the 2M jacent condenser, and where-more than one condenser is used! the upper parts of said condensers may be con nected by pipe 14. Within the condensers are partitions 15 extending downwardly 100 fromthe upper part to cause the gases to take a downward and upward course through the condensers, as shown by the arrows in Fig. '1.

part'o'f the condensers to permit the removal of metallic arsenic from the condensers while the process continues, whereby the valve 17 may be closed and the valve 16 opened to admit the arsenic into the chamber 18, and then 110 At 16, 17 are draw off valves at the lower 'remov ng the sulfur from the gases, the pas ber 9 oi the heater 9 to be utilized in heating the pipes 8. Outlet pipe 21 from the condenser'may also be connected with a chain her 22, contain ng layers of o'xld of iron for sage being controlledby a valve 23.

"One or more of the condensers 12 are surrounded by or associated with one or more jackets or chambers through which air may be circulated to cool the condensers. T have shown the jackets or chambers 25 connected with a supply pipe 26, which be connected with a blower or pump in any suitable mannenand'said jackets are shown connected at their'upper ends by pipe 27. To utilize the heat absorbed by the li "did pass; ing through the jackets or chambers 25 l connect one of the latter, as by pipe 2 8, with the coil. or pipe 8, so that when air is forced through said jackets it will become heated, and such heated. air may be. forced through coil or pipe 8 for further heating the air blast, thence through the t'wyers iutothe gas producer to be converted. into reductive gases for reducing the arsenical ores in the furnace 3.

in carrying out my improved process the arsenical ores are filled into the furnace 3,

and. coke is filled into thes'as 'iroducer 1 and channel 2. i The coke is first heated to incandescence in any suitable manueii'. The heated air mixed with. a suitable proportion of Water or steam is driven from the twyers 6 through the glowing coke, whereby gases containing carbon monoxid and hydrogen. are

produced and forced into the furnace 3 andthus through the arsenical'ores at high te1nperature, thereby volatilizing the arsenic,

the vapor of which will be condensed. Within the condensers 12 and may be removed as required. through thevalve devices 16,17. The gases are then partly conductedthrough ipe 19 to the combustion chamber 9 vfor eating the coilor pipe 8, and the remainder of the gases are passed over iron oxid in chamber 22 to be freed from sulfur, and may be used for any desired purpose.

ll the'arsenical ores to be reduced are mispiokle'flFeAsS) the arsenic will volatilize by reason of the hot reductive gases passing through the ores. The" arsenical vapors which pass over into the condensers with the gases are condensed when the temperature of the gases sinks, as in the vessel through which they pass. No combination between arsenic and hydrogen can take place at the high temperature eXistiJ g in the furnace.

If the ores to be treated contain'FeAs as much. yellow pyrites (FeS must be added to expel the arsenic as that the final matte eraser will consist of simple sulfurets of iron. There is also another form of ore, namely, Ag As-tl eAs which should be mixed with FeS before heating the same, may be used, by which operation the arsenic is expelled and partly replaced by sulfur. By subof ore after being sulfureted the action of hydrogen will be according to the following formula, viz; Ag S+H =H S+2Ag If inmay. be used.

in producing the reductive gases I; preferquentlyraised to a temperature suihcient-to cally cariying out the process the temperature of the mixture of air and steam should be raised suihciently high to cause the reductive gases passing from theglowing coke to melt the oresand liberate the arsenic therefrom. A suitable quantity of Water should be introorder to obtain as large a proportion of by drogen as possible, and yet the proportion of air should. be sufiiciently great to maintain the reductive gases at prclper temperature to reduce the ores. I have air. and steam is passed as a convenient means for producing carbonlmonoxid and hydrogen in the reductive gases The arsenical ores mixed or not mixed with yellow pyrites, will preferably be formed into -briquets.

I By means of my improvedprocess metallic arsenic may be produced from arsenical ores Wholly Within a closed apparatus, ithout danger of escape of arsenieal or other injurious gases, and the process can be carried on cheaply and continuously, drawing off the remainder as required, and introducing new charges of coke and ores into their respective chambers. l

- Having now described my invention What I claim is:

1. The process of producing metallic arse-v nic consisting in sub ecting arsenical ores to the action of: heated reductive gases, and then condensing the, arsenieal vapors passing from said ores. i

nic consisting in passing heated reductive gases containing carbon monoxid and hy stead of iron, nickel. or cobalt be in the ores,

depending on the purpose for which they.

ably introduce Water into the, air passing to the gas producer, which mixture is subse-- 2. The process of' producing metallic arse 'jecting to the process the last named sample convert the ater into steam, andin practiduced into the air passing to the twye'rs in escribed the use of glovvmg coke throughwhichthev mixture of drogen through arsenical ores, and then condensing the arsenic'al vapors passing from said ores.

3. The process of'producing metallic arsenic consisting in producing reductive gases containing carbon monoxid and hydrogen in a heated state, passingsaid gases through arsenical ores, and condensing the arsenical vapors passing from said. ores.

4. The process of producing metallic arsenic consisting in passing air mixed with steam through glowing coke to form reductive gases containing carbon monoxid and hydrogen, subjecting arsenicai ores to contact with said reductive gases and producing arsenical vapors, and condensing said vapors.

5., The process of producing metallic arse nic consisting in passing a heated mixture of air and steam through glowing coke to form carbon IDOIlOXld and hydrogen, passing said gases through arsenical ores to produce arse n' ical vapors, and then condensing said vapors.

6. The process of producing arsenic consistingin passing heated gases containing carbon monoxid and hydrogen through arsenical ores, passing the arsenical vapors from said ores through a condenser, circulating air in proximity to said condenser to cause condensation of the arsenical vapors therein and causing said air to absorb heat from said gases and then passing said heated airthrough incandescent carbon to said ores.

7'. The process of producing metallic arsenic consisting in heating a mixture of air and steam, passing said mixture throughincandescent carbon to produce reductive gases containing carbon .rnonoxid and hydrogen, passing said gases through arsenical ores and producing arsenical vapors, and then condensing said vapors.

' GUSTAF M. XVESTMAN.

W'it'nesses T. F. BOURNE, L. SWINTON 

